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Assamite
The Assamites are one of the thirteen vampire clans of the World of Darkness. Based in their hidden fortress Alamut in the Middle East, they are traditionally seen by Western Kindred as dangerous assassins and diablerists, but in truth they are guardians, warriors and scholars who seek to distance themselves from the Jyhad. Throughout their history, they have remained self-sufficient and independent clan. The Clan From the beginning, the Assamites were an isolated lot, centered around Alamut and the Middle East. Lacking competition for certain roles due to the relative absence of other Clans, the clan thus maintained its separation of duties over the millennia rather than becoming specialized to one particular mode of existence. The viziers tended to the mortal herds, the judges (now the warriors) tended to the clan’s defense, and the sorcerers pursued their secrets. This division of labor allowed the Assamites to succeed on their own where a clan priding itself on its specialization, such as the noble Ventrue or the socialite Toreador, would have failed. They associated rarely with other Cainites, notably lending assistance to the Salubri during the Baali Wars and paying homage the Brujah city of Carthage. This was, in no small place, attributed to the presence of the Antediluvian himself, who saw the squabbling over territory and mortal herds as reminders of the ill-fated Second City and tried to withdraw himself and his brood as good as he could from it. Nevertheless, small cabals supported various mortal nations, entangeling themselves within the Jyhad, and this enraged their founder so greatly that he left Alamut, occaisonly visting it, but never stying for long, until he disappeared completly. As a whole, the Children of Haqim hold themselves apart from the political squabbles of other Cainites. This is due in part to geography, at least before the advent of mechanized transportation, but mainly to a subtle sense of superiority. The Children like to feel that they have no need to resort to politics to achieve their aims. This is not to say that no member of the line is incapable of subtlety – indeed, many viziers have achieved great success in the political arena – but rather that the clan culture, such as it is, is predisposed toward more direct solutions. Of course, this political isolation has also had its drawbacks. Absence from the intrigues of the Damned means lack of enemies, but also of allies, which resulted in the isolated stance of the Caln after the formation of the Camarilla. Also, most Assamites are inexperienced in the games of power and Prestation other Kindred have played for millenias. Assamites are divided into three castes, which often have a semi-antagonistic relationship with each other. While all Assamites grow dark with age, have access to Quietus as a clan Discipline, and have a weakness related to some form of lust so powerful that it stains their aura, the different castes also have different Disciplines and weaknesses. The castes are all hereditary, that is a warrior Assamite will always sire warrior caste childer and never sorcerers or viziers. Despite this, the three castes are considered equally close to the Antediluvian Haqim who is said to have sired Assamites of all three types in the Second City. Warrior Assamites are the primary fighters of the clan. They are the Assamites most likely to take assassination contracts and most likely to adhere to the Path of Blood. When other vampires think of Assamites, they are most likely to picture a warrior. Younger Warriors typically came from Islamic countries, and may mix the tenants of the Path of Blood with Islamic ideas about holy war. They are often fanatical and ready to die for the cause. Elder Warriors may come from other religions entirely, and see themselves more as judges (and executioners) than as holy warriors or assassins. Before recent events, the main Clan was strongly unified, based on their ancestral home base Alamut. Traditionally headed by the Eldest, and supported by the Du'at, the Clan focused inward, sending his assassins out to gather blood for the alchemical potions the experiments of the sorcerers to break the blood curse. The Council of Scrolls was responsible for introducing new technology into the Clan and investigating recent developments outside Alamut. Each Caste was headed by it's respective representative; the Caliph for the warriors, the Amr for the sorcerers, and the Vizier for the viziers. The protection of them lay in the hands of the Silsila. The Assamite castes split apart during the Schism. Ur-Shulgi demanded that other Assamites give up the worship of other gods and only revere Haqim. This resulted in many Assamites being killed, and many more opting to leave Alamut. Ur-Shulgi was particularly vicious towards Muslim Assamites, and killed several elders for refusing to renounce their faith, including the head of the Warrior caste. Some Assamites joined the Camarilla. Most of those that joined the Camarilla were viziers and sorcerors. Warriors that joined the Camarilla are generally seen as loose cannons who must be supervised by their more restrained (and non-vitae-addicted) clan mates. Sorcerors in the Camarilla find their skills in high demand as an alternative to dealing with the Tremere. A small number of Assamites, mostly Warriors, joined the Sabbat. While the Assamite-antitribu who had been with the Sabbat for the last 500 years were entirely from Warrior stock, the Warriors opting to join the Sabbat were not entirely welcomed with open arms. Many of the Assamite-antitribu elders, particularly in the Black Hand, had defected and left the Sabbat to return to the main clan. This meant the Sabbat was not entirely welcoming because of the recent betrayal. Few sorcerors or viziers joined the Sabbat. Some Assamites chose to go completely independent and avoid all the sects. They also drew away from the main clan, primarily for religious reasons. Few Warriors chose this option. Most Dispossessed Assamites are Viziers or Sorcerors. Many Assamites stayed with the main clan. Most of these were warriors and sorcerors. Virtually all Assamites on the Path of Blood chose to either stay with the main clan or to be dispossessed independents. The schismatics who joined the camarilla being forced to abandom the path. Bloodlines Assamites have one true bloodline and the main clan is actually separated into Castes. Castes Other then the Warriors, there is also a sorcerer caste (who practice a form of blood magic), and the Vizier caste who are the scholars and artisans of the clan. Each caste has a unique weakness and its own set of disciplines. Antitribu Assamite Antitribu joined the Sabbat to avoid the trmere blood curse, however With the breaking of the Tremere Curse by Ur-Shulgi of the antitribu, who have joined the sect to escape the humiliation of submitting to the blood wizards, have returned to Alamut and joined the Loyalist forces. The only ones that remain are those that are reverent in their noddism. Sects and Covenants Most Assamites put clan loyalty first. However there are some who have for some reason very recently began defecting from their clan and began putting all of their faith, and backing into Ashirra. And there is yet another group vying for membership within the main body of the Camarilla. Mechanical Systems Warrior ''' '''Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus Favored Attributes: Dexterity, or Wits Weakness: An addiction to vampire vitae and Auspex will always show them as diablerists. Even if they have never actually engaged in diablerie, their Auspex will say otherwise. Sorcerer Clan Disciplines: '''Dur-An-Ki, Obfuscate, Quietus '''Favored Attributes: Resolve, or Intelligence Weakness: Any use of Auspex on a member of the Sorcerer Caste, or an item held by them, at any level, reveals that he practices blood magic. Even if the character has no knowledge of Thaumaturgy or Assamite Sorcery. Vizier Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Quietus Favored Attributes: Presence, or Intelligence Weakness: The Vizier Caste has an Obsessive/Compulsive derangement that is related to the creative or intellectual ability in which he has the most Ability traits. Assamites in Portland There was one suspected female Assamite agent who was seen in Portland all of once. Category:Clans/Bloodlines